Newest Kindle Fire update promises more parental control options

The update will be rolled out over the next several days.

Amazon will be rolling out Kindle Fire Software Update Version 6.3.1 over the next several days. It is the company's second update within roughly a month (the last featured faster WiFi reconnect, increased sharing options, and moving rental timing tweaks). This latest update is highlighted by additional parental control options.

With version 6.3.1, Amazon is providing several methods to restrict content access for others (like kids who might accidentally start watching that violent movie you downloaded). Users can now password-protect purchases, disable access to specific content libraries, or block access to the Silk Web browser entirely.

The update comes as market research firm IDC estimated that Kindle Fire shipments fell from 4.8 million tablets in the fourth quarter of 2011 to fewer than 750,000 in the first quarter of this year.

This software update will be delivered automatically, over-the-air in the coming days. You can check if the update has already been installed by tapping the Quick Settings icon, tapping "More," and then finally "Device." If your System Version is "Current version: 6.3.1," you're ready to roll. If not, under Quick Settings tap "Sync." Amazon also provides instructions on downloading the software and manually transferring it to the device via USB.

I need to get home and see what is really changed. The 2 Kindle Fires in my home belong to our older children. They've been good and haven't spent all our money on apps. But the potential for them to purchase everything in the AppStore is there and is only a couple taps away. I disabled in-app purchasing. Now I need to password protect the ability to purchase. It's unclear to me whether the update is making already-purchased content password protected or if it works as I would like which prevents purchases without a password. One of the Fire's updated overnight. I'll be looking at the new features when I get home.